The draw
for the 23rd IHF Women’s World Championship was held in Hamburg on Tuesday with
defending champions Norway drawn into Group B, where they will take on 2016
Olympic quarter-finalists Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Pan American
runners-up Argentina and wild card entry Poland.
The 2017
event in Germany will be the sixth participation for Czech Republic, who return
after failing to qualify in 2015. All other Group B participants were at the
previous edition in 2015, where Sweden ranked ninth, Hungary finished 11th,
Argentina placed 18th and Poland made it to the semi-finals. Poland lost their
Europe Qualification Play-off to 2016 Olympic gold medallists Russian
Federation, but were awarded the wild card for the 2017 World Championship based
on their results at Denmark 2015.
In Group A,
2016 Olympic silver medallists France will meet 2015 World Championship bronze
medallists Romania, who remain the only nation to have qualified for every Women’s
World Championship since the first was held in 1957. Also in Group A are 2012
Olympic bronze medallists Spain, Slovenia – returning to the World Championship
for the first time since their last participation in 2005, African champions
Angola, and Paraguay, for whom it is the third qualification for the World
Championship.
In Group C,
hosts of the previous World Championship, Denmark, will take on Russia, 2013
world champions Brazil, 2012 Olympic silver medallists Montenegro, hosts of the
2019 Women’s World Championship Japan, and African runners-up Tunisia.
2015 World
Championship and EHF EURO 2016 silver medallists Netherlands will begin their
campaign from Group D in Leipzig, where they will face hosts Germany, 2013
runners-up Serbia, the Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China, and
Cameroon.
Korea
remain the only non-European nation apart from Brazil to have raised the World
Championship trophy and were the first to do so in 1995. China ranked 17th at
Denmark 2015, where they won the President’s Cup, while Cameroon travel to
Germany for their second ever World Championship after their first
participation in 2005 where they finished 22nd.
Ambassador
for the 2017 World Championship, Grit Jurack, who herself won two bronze medals
at the World Championship representing Germany in 1997 and 2007, said the event
on home ground almost two decades ago remains one of her fondest handball
memories:
“20 years
ago when I played the World Championship on home ground it was one of the best
experiences ever,” said Jurack, before adding her thoughts on Germany's
chances. “I am sure that the German team will make it to Hamburg – at least to
the semi-finals and maybe will win a medal. The Netherlands are my favourites
in the German group, so we will duel with Serbia and Korea for the second rank.”
The
preliminary round groups decided at the draw event are as follows:
Group A:
France, Romania, Spain, Slovenia, Angola, Paraguay (Trier)
Group B:
Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, Hungary, Argentina, Poland (Bietigheim
Bissingen)
Group C:
Denmark, Russian Federation, Brazil, Montenegro, Japan, Tunisia (Oldenburg)
Group D:
Netherlands, Germany, Serbia, Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China,
Cameroon (Leipzig)
Photo: DHB